(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high viscosity fluid composition used for a vibration energy damping device such as a seismic damping wall and a vibration energy damping device which is filled with the high viscosity fluid composition.
(2) Prior Art
It is very important to suppress the vibration induced by sudden and unexpected causes such as wind or an earthquake for the purpose of preventing the occurrence of disasters due to upsetting or falling of furniture, facilities, equipment or the like in a building or due to collision of persons with various objects and further to suppress the usual ground shakes induced by the traffic vehicles on a bridge and high-level road for the purpose of ensuring safety of workers engaging in the construction work and preventing them from altitude sickness. In these circumstances, various vibration energy damping device have recently been developed to absorb and reduce the vibration energy of wide range from slight vibrations to the level of an earthquake.
The damping device of this kind is exemplified by seismic damping walls used in construction work for buildings, which are disclosed in the Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-38867 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 5-86744. Besides these, other examples of damping devices include earthquake-proof and vibration isolating floors applied to buildings such as research laboratories, computer rooms and buildings for nuclear power plant equipment, in which not only the vibrations induced by an earthquake but also slight vibrations caused by the operation of instruments or any slight vibrations accompanied by the movement of persons or machines are avoided. The damping devices are further exemplified by those for girder based structures such as bridges and overhead roads, mounting devices for automobile engines and support members for fixing pipes.
These devices are filled with a high viscosity fluid mixture and are able to absorb and reduce vibration energy by the sheer resistance due to its viscosity.
The specific gravity of the high viscosity fluid mixtures used in the prior art are less than 1, thus when rainwater or condensed water enters into a vibration energy damping device such as a seismic damping wall, it may be collected in the bottom part of the device, so that it is apprehended that the properties of the high viscosity fluid mixture such as tackiness and viscosity. In order to remove the water, it is considered as a countermeasure to form openings in the bottom part of the seismic damping wall.
However, when the water is removed from openings, it is difficult to remove only the water. In addition, another problem is caused to occur in that the openings formed in the seismic damping wall may reduce the mechanical strengths of the seismic damping wall itself. Furthermore, maintenance and inspection works such as periodical inspection of the seismic damping wall to check up the existence of mingled water and to replenish the reduced high viscosity fluid mixture is inevitable after the installation of the seismic damping wall.